american history tv on c-span3. every weekend documenting america's story. funding for american history tv comes from these companies who support c-span3 as a public service. "my trip abroad" by eleanor roosevelt is a short news style film narrated by the popular columnist and former first lady. she reports on her trip in 1950 to sweden, norway, denmark, france, and england to support post world war ii rebuilding efforts.

few presidents of the united states have shown such an intense interest in europe as the late president franklin delano roosevelt, an interest deeply shared by his well-traveled wife, eleanor. mrs. roosevelt is not only a noted traveler but a successful journalist, who likes to see things for herself and whose column, "my day" has been read for 14 years by 6 million readers in nearly 1 million american papers. they follow an important trip she just made through europe. >> we landed at the airport at 9:45 a.m. there was a large crowd on hand to meet us, including crown prince olaf and princess martha. the primary reason for my trip to europe was to unveil a memorial statue of my late husband. i think all the people present realized that this statue

symbolizes their gratitude not only to one man but also to the people of the united states and the ideals for which they stand, peace and justice, and which they hoped to achieve through cooperation with the free nations of europe. to find how that cooperation and support were working out, i wanted to see for myself even though much of my time was taken up by public functions. even so, i thought i could get an idea of what was being accomplished. norway is making great progress in housing. the government is doing the greater part of the building, though some private building is also going on. norway has devoted this martial plan to buying infrastructure. there is a small advance being made on the economic front. shipping is very important to the norway region and it's coming back fast. the shipping industry, which was all but destroyed, is

flourishing again. i was delighted to see how well the purposes of the martial plan was developing in norway when i presented the contest, describing the results of the martial plan. the youngest and faithful was naturally proud of her diploma. but i think she was discuss ingwith my granddaughter chandler what her trip to paris would be like as that was part of the prize. scandinavian cities seemed to have no slums and no approaches.

the plant outside stockholm is one of the most beautiful factories i had ever seen. it was a good example of how important our health has been without some $200,000 worth of martial plan supplies, these workers would not have their jobs. i was very much interested to learn that representatives of the unions and of the employers meet regularly to try to anticipate labor situations before they arrive. next we visited finland where they're trying to do without our martial plan help. i was impressed by the feeling i got there, that the people had made up their minds to live under the shadow of fear but still with calm nerves and great courage. and they were rebuilding, too, even if much of their production must go to the soviets as reparations. when we reached copenhagen,

denmark, i wanted to compare my plans with their reports. they gave a wonderful briefing. i recall in particular the martial plan labor officer saying that we are misled by terminology. that, for instance, european socialist leaders stand not for socialism but for what we would call liberal principles. in suburban areas, i found schools run so the parents could keep working. another war would be in everyone's country and in everyone's home. we have an incentive for peace and nowhere does one feel it more than in peaceful amsterdam, much of which i saw from the

picturesque views. i was happy to see shipping hard at work. shipping is 90% of pre-war. a great deal of reconstruction and building has been done to improve the still acute housing shortage. i was encouraged to learn that in many places, the old primitive homes have been replaced by modern houses. naturally the trip wasn't all economics. sometimes we were just plain tourists. i wanted to take my grandchildren to totem to see the house where their ancestors left to settle in america. though not a wealthy region, it was certainly gallant for us,

some 30 or 40 people that came to meet us turned out to be wonderful. i always thought of europe as peaceful, if not a global one. when france was in a government crisis caused by the fact that salaries have not kept pace with the cost of living, which is 20 times higher than it was before the war. this creates real hardship. but when i went to talk with the president of france, i discovered the reason. france, he told me, has not concentrated on helping people in their immediate needs but on long-range modernization of our industries, a policy that will pay off in some three years' time when her industrial plants will be the best in europe.

for instance, france has invested heavily in hydroelectric plants. at present the construction of these power plants gives jobs to thousands of men. and when they are completed, inexpensive electricity will be available for many farms and factories and homes. when i arrived in france, i was greeted by the first lady. i especially wanted to see how britain and its industrial leaders found out how to export the things needed to get those dollars to balance their foreign trade. mr. griffith told me they made trips across america to get the necessary contract. they say the lord helps those

who help themselves, and the martial plan seems to be like the lord in that respect. there is no doubt in my mind how much martial plan funds have helped. but some facts are worrying. worrying. it is hard to see how europe can recover as long as trade with eastern europe remains at the present low level. i had my ideas pretty well sorted out for the time i went to visit our airmen. europe has recovered roughly to the 1938 level but that is not enough. a europe with greater population and more social justice must have a far higher production level. above all, there must be greater integration. our men on the spot knew this. >> will you go ahead and ask questions? >> mrs. roosevelt, did you see a definite improvement in these countries you visited receiving

martial aid? >> oh, yes. i've taken particular trouble to see our people everywhere and to actually ask. now, nations have done different things in different countries. i think eca has done a really outstanding job. i'm not sure that everywhere in '52 they would be ready to stand on their own two feet. i have been on a very short trip but i have seen a number of countries and one impression is outstandingly clear, the interdependence of these nations. i personally believe that we must continue our aid to them. the keyword is integration and the goal is peace.

weeknights this month we're featuring american history tv programs as a preview of what's available every weekend on c-span3. tonight a night of oral histories with korean war veterans. the korean war began on june 25, 1950 and ended with an arm stis agreement in july of 1953. we start with carl house as he recounts his part in the ambitious landing, a victory for u.n. forces and talks about the surprise counter chinese attack where he was captured and details the squalid conditions and suring at as a prison of the chinese. this 2014 interview was conducted in louisville, kentucky. watch tonight starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern and enjoy american history tv every weekend on c-span3. in april of 1915, more than 1,000 women from combatant and

neutral nations gathered to discuss how to end war. the women's international league for peace and freedom was born. it still exists today. up next on reel america, crossing borders, the stories of the women's international league for peace and freedom. using extensive interviews with several early members, this 1987 film by the organization documents and celebrates its history, promoting peace and women's rights. >> in 1915 a group of women gathered in europe to try to find a way to stop world war i. it was the birth of the oldest women's peace organization in the world, the women's international league for peace and freedom. this is their story. the end of the victorian age and the beginning of th